The 50th Season of the PBA will begin this October 5 and here are the 5 rookies fans should definitely be excited to watch in the golden year of Asia’s 1st pay-for-play league.
Just a side note, this list excludes the Top 3 Pick of the 2025 PBA draft.
Tony Ynot of Converge FiberXers
Selected as No. 32 pick during the 3rd Round, the Converge FiberXers picked up the do-it-all guard Tony Ynot from the College of Saint Benilde.
Photo Credits: Converge FiberXers via FB
The former CSB Blazer didn’t just showcased how great of a defender he is during his collegiate stint at the NCAA but has also proven to be useful in any role given to him by Head Coach Charles Tiu both in CSB and in Strong Group Athletics Philippines.
The 6-foot-1 guard has averaged 10.14 points, 5.43 rebounds, 4.29 assists, and 1.38 steals per game, good enough from him to earn a spot on the Mythical Team in Season 100.
Considering Converge now a plethora of guards in their team like: Alec Stockton, Schonny Winston, #3 Overall Pick Juan Gómez de Liaño and Rey Suerte, it will certainly be a tough challenge on how to utilize their talents and development.
But one thing is for sure, in terms of “quality guards”, the FiberXers have the most in the league.
Christian Manaytay of Rain or Shine Elasto Painters
Christian Manaytay was a bit of a surprise pick by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. Selected as the #10 pick during the 1st Round and Head Coach Yeng Guiao definitely has another premier young talent to develop.
Photo Credits: Rain or Shine Elasto Painters via FB
The former University of Santo Tomas guard made heavy contributions to his squad in order for the Growling Tigers to get a podium finish in the previous Season 87 of the UAAP. He averaged 8.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and shot 44.7 percent from the field while playing 21.6 minutes per game in his senior year which also happens to be the 1st ever playoff appearance of UST after 3 years.
While during his stint in the MPBL, as of writing this he has played 23 games in which he started 3 of them and has averaged: 7.1 PPG, 2 APG, 3.9 RPG, shooting 47.4% from the field and shot 23.3% from the 3-pointer area.
His outside shooting can definitely be better but with Yeng on the sidelines, sky is the limit for this combo guard which can very much be paired with the elite young backcourt trio of the Elasto Painters: Gian Mamuyac, Adrian Nocum and Andrei Caracut.
LJay Gonzales of NLEX Road Warriors
The first ever player to announce his name in the 2025 Rookie Draft was rewarded by the NLEX Road Warriors by choosing him as the 5th pick in the 1st Round.
Photo Credits: PBA via FB
The former Far Eastern University standout was part of the Mythical Five during the UAAP Season 86. Gonzales averaged 14.79 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.14 assists, and 2.0 steals. Currently, he is playing in the MPBL for the Quezon Huskers in which he has played 25 games and started in 22 in them averaging 10.4 PPG, 3.8 APG, 5.6 RPG, 1.9 SPG whilst shooting 47.9% from the field and 29.2% from beyond the arc in nearly 19 minutes per outing.
What Head Coach Jong Uichico got here is finally probably the complementary backcourt duo of Robert Bolick. There’s no doubt that Berto Bolick can score an easy 30 per game but having the co-star is still pending and maybe LJay has finally given the Road Warriors the answer they have been looking for all these years.
Chris Koon of Northport Batang Pier/Pureblends
The soon to be franchise buyout of the Northport Batang Pier by the Pureblends Corporation is reported to be “a done deal by now” as per the PBA themselves.
That being said, they got their Will Navarro and Arvin Tolentino replacement in their #4 overall pick by the name of Chris Koon.
Photo Credits: PBA via FB
The former Ateneo de Manila University forward in his final year with the Blue Eagles, has averaged 7.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while serving as co-captain of a youthful roster. The 6-foot-5 Koon may have only won 1 championship under Coach Tab Baldwin during the Season 85 but has asserted himself as a vital piece in Ateneo’s offense.
And now that the Pureblends franchise has no solid Small Forward in their lineup, it’s anticipated that Koon will not fill in the big shoes left by both Tolentino and Navarro but also play heavy minutes in his rookie year.
Besides, he might be the 2nd co-star the team desperately needs right now to pair with their guard, Joshua Munzon.
Will Gozum of the Phoenix Fuel Masters
The former NCAA Season 98 MVP representing the CSB Blazers, Will Gozum, has to be a must watch for everyone after being named as the 5th overall pick.
Photo Credits: PBA via FB
Under Head Coach Charles Tiu, Gozum made sure that he was the face of the CSB squad during his collegiate years and despite going in the MPBL way back 2023 after graduating, the big bruising forward surely is a golden gem for the Fuel Masters.
With Gozum part of Phoenix, the team now has a legitimate case of being the “dark horse” in making it to the playoffs with the guidance of their new Head Coach, Willy Wilson.
The Wings of Phoenix (no pun intended) is definitely stacked with Sean Manganti, sophomore Kai Ballungay and now Will Gozum will bring a lot of problems to their opponents.
